Crank-handle-retaining device.



J. L. RIGGAN.

CRANK HANDLE RETAINING DEVICE.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1916. 1,271,774.

Patented July 9, 1918.

INVENTOR J 07m L. Ryjan WITNESS ES ATTOF NEY es cawaomumc., wnsuwcw s r JOHN L. BIGGAN, F SPRING GROVE, VIRGINIA.

GRANK-HANDLE-RETAINING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July e, 191s'.

Appli-cation filed November 13J 1816. ,Serial No. 131,092.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. RIGGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Spring Grove, in the county of Surry and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crank- Handle-Retaining Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference generally, to improvements in retaining devices and more particularly relates to a crank handle retaining device.

. The invention hasfor its primary aim and object to provide novel supporting means for the crank retaining arm whereby to hold the arm in an inoperative position to permit of the use of the crank and to also maintain the retaining arm in engagement with the crank to consequently support the crank in an upright position, thus preventing mud, etc., from engaging the crank when the motor vehicle to which it is connected, is in operation. o

More particularly, the present invention embraces the provision of novel brackets constructed to support the registry number plate and to rotatably support and co-act with the spring retaining arm so as to consequently maintain the latter in either of its adjusted positions.

Among the other aims and objects of the presentfinvention may be recited the provision of a device of the character mentioned with a view to compactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple, the cost of production low, and the efficiency high.

Other improvements and novel details in the construction and arrangement of parts will be appreciated from the detailed description below, which is to beread in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part herein, and wherein I disclose a preferred embodiment of the inven` tion for the purpose of illustration.

. The preferredembodiment of my invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which rFigure 1 is a front elevation of my invention appliedto a motor vehicle and positioned so as to support the crank in an upright position.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction in which the arrow points, the other parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a top plan of my invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective detail of one of the improved brackets.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanying drawings I have arranged the front end of the chassis 1 in a supported position on the front chassis supporting spring 2 and in supportingV the radiator 3 with respect to the front end chassis 1 I'provide a support 4 which rests on the front end of the chassis as indicated in Fig. 1 and which is provided with an opening in which is journaled a driving shaft 5 of the vehicle. A crank 6 is operatively connected to the projecting end of the shaft 5. It is to be noted that the support has laterally projecting ears 7 extending in opposite directions from the respective sides of the support and adjacent the respective ends thereof in which are arranged the ends of U-bolts 8, the latter being first straddled about the front end of the chassis 1 and the spring 2 as indicated in the drawings while the free projecting ends are engaged by nuts 9, to maintain the parts in the position described.

Now, in order to provide the improved supporting means for the retaining means, heretofore mentioned, I have provided my improved brackets generally indicated by the numeral 10. In the present instance each of these brackets is preferably formed from a single blank of sheet metal or else cast in an integral piece and embodies a body portion 11 having an opening 12 therein, one end of the body being bent to provide an upstanding arm 13 in which is formed an opening 14 for a purpose to be described. The upper end of the arm is bent outwardly at right angles to provide a liange 15 while the outer edge of the flange is beveled to provide a guide 16 also for a purpose to be described. The opposite end of the body is offset to consequently provide an arm 17 having a horizontal slot18 therein, the offset portion being also bent as indicated by the numeral 19 so as to arrange the arm 18 in a plane at right angles to the plane of the body portion 11. In connecting the supporting brackets of which there is a pair, the openings of the securing portion are arranged about the upper ends of the outer portions of the U- shaped bolts preparatory to the application of the nuts 9 and are clamped in a substantially rigid position with respect tothe support t by means of the nuts. .It is tobe noted that the arms 17 of the brackets eX- tend ,outwardly in opposite directions to each other when applied and are also arranged in a plane in advance of the plane of the outer portions of the U-shaped bolts 8 as will be appa-rent upon reference to Fig. 2, this arf rangement permitting of the application of the registry plate on the arms as indicated -by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

With a View toward providing suitable means for removably retaining the crank arm 6 in an upright position where it will not be engaged bymud, etc., while the motor vehicle is in operation, I have provided my improved retaining arm which is constructed from a single piece -of resilient wire bent upon vitself to provide legs 20. The outer ends of the legs are bent outwardly in opposite directions to provide feet 21 which are journaled in the openings 14 and the arms 13 of the brackets. The intermediate or bridge portion of the retaining arm is also bent inwardly in a U-shape form to provide a recess 22 to permit of the arm being strad- Adled about the crank 6 to consequently remove and retain the same in an upright position.

l'lhe operation of the invention may be reviewed as follows:-

Normally, the legs '20 of the retaining arm are held outwardly so that the recess -22 engages the crank 6, this being caused by the beveled surface or guides 16. When it is desired to crank the machine the retaining arm'is lifted upwardly and moved inwardly so thatl the legs 20 lride upon `the guides 16 and vfinally .engage the opposed straight edges on the flanges 15 where, because of the inherent resiliency of the retaining arm, the legs are maintained in a position as indicated by -dotted lines in Fig. 2.- After the machine is started, the crank is arranged in a vertical position and it is only necessary to pull the retaining arm outwardly and as soon .as itstrikes the beveled guide 16 it will automatically spring outwardly so that the recess will receive the crank k6 and its walls tightly engaged against the crank to vhold it at all times from rattling.

As many kchanges could be .made in the above 4.construction .and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawings shall b e interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the vgeneric and specific features of the invention herein described and all statementsof the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of 'larguaga might be said to fall therebetween.A

' aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An automobile crank handle retaining device, which comprises a pair of brackets formed of flat material, each bracket having a body portion adapted to be secured to the automobile, lwith flanges extending therefrom., one of said flanges extending vertically with a hole therein, and having one end of the flange bent to lie in the same plane as the body portion, said end being provided with an angularly cut outer corner,

and a spring having its ends bent to form Y shafts so that the spring. is adapted to be rotatably secured in the holes in vertical flanges, and to eoperate with :the bent ends of said flanges, said spring being positioned `therebetween to expand against the vertical lianges and adapted to engage with the crank handle.

2. A device of the character described, which comprises a pair of rigidly mounted spaced brackets having flanges thereon, an inherently resilient crank retainingarm pivotally mounted in the brackets and coperating with the flanges so as to 'be held lin an operative or an inoperative position, and -1 the .outer corners of the opposed flanges being beveled to facilitate movement of the retaining arm into its operative and inoperative posi-tions, and when in an operative position, the resilient arm engages with the underside of each of the brackets.

3. A device of the character described, which comprises a pair -of brackets each one of which is formed of a single piece of material and consists of a body portion, a-n upright arm, and an angularly projecting llange projecting from said arm, said lflange having a beveledouter corner, and a resilient crank retaining arm pivotally ymounted in the upright portions lof the bracket. Y

A, An auto crank handle retaining device which comprises a pair of rigidly mounted brackets having securing portions, upright arms and inwardly projecting flanges, Vthe upper corners of said flanges being beveled, a retaining arm formed from -a single piece of metal bent to have an approximately W7 shape, the legs of which are pivotally mou-nted in the arms of 'the brackets, the `Vintermedate portion of the retaining arm being adapted to engage With the crank, the legs In testimony whereof I aiX my signature of the retaining arm ooperating with the in presence of two Witnesses.

flanges so as to be maintained in the inoper- T ative and operative positions, and the bev- JOHN L' RIGGAL' eled outer corner of the flanges facilitating Witnesses:

the movement of the retaining arm to either E. J. GODFREY,

of its adjusted positions. J. H. LOUGHRIDGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

